


All the Colours of the Rainbow

by heart_trademark



Category: Markiplier (Youtuber RPF), Youtube RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hair, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Coffee Shop, Cute, Fluff, Hair Color, Hair colour, Peraus, Permotionem Figura Subcinctus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-22
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-03-25 05:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3798877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heart_trademark/pseuds/heart_trademark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peraus, short for Permotionem Figura Subcinctus (latin: Emotional Shape Shift): one who has involuntarily physical changes that stem from the emotion or mood they are feeling.</p><p>You've gotten use to it, really. It can be annoying, your hair constantly changing colours to match how you're feeling no matter how much hair dye you slather onto it, but you're almost twenty-two and god-dammit if you haven't managed to keep it under control.</p><p>Of course you don't have it under control, though. How would that be interesting?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Warm

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you that are searching for something similar to "peraus" (a.k.a. Permotionem Figura Subcinctus): I'm sure there are some mythologies and legends that are similar, but this is something that I made up a while ago, and it just happened to apply to this. So no, it wasn't inspired by anything really other than a very younger me's imagination.
> 
> A cute little fluff piece I've been working on that was inspired by a post on tumblr (that I cannot find for the life of me, if you know what post I'm talking about please link to me to it!).
> 
> [Y/N] is, as is typical, your name. Enjoy~

Your heart sank as you read your most recent text message.

_hey [y/n], sorry but i wont be able to make it today... my sister called and ive gotta babysit nancy for the night, her fiances dad is in the hospital... im really really sorry! i left a key for you in the mailbox in the grocery store catalogue. make yourself comfy and ill see you tomorrow, we'll do something extra special, promise!_

You were going to put your phone away and sulk in the corner of the coffee shop where you and your best friend were suppose to meet, but you changed your mind. You texted her back:

_aw that sucks! hope he's okay <3 why dont the two of you come here? we could hang out the three of us. it might take her mind off her grandpa for a bit._

Slipping your phone back into the pocket of your sweater, you walked up to the counter and smiled at the woman who greeted you. Your hair was probably slowly fading back to the bright yellow it had been when you walked into the shop. Being a peraus had its perks, like people knowing that you were in a good mood. You found that people were nicer to you when they knew that you were genuinely happy. It could also do the opposite, which was less fun, but you'd grown use to it in your almost twenty-two years.

"I'll just take a medium hot chocolate, please."

The barista behind the counter smiled and totaled up your order. You handed her five dollars and accepted the change before moving to stand out of the way. Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you opened it again to another text from your friend.

_that's a great idea! itll take a little longer to get there since ive gotta go pick her up and get all settled, but we'll meet you there in about half an hour. cant wait to see you! :)_

_that's all right, ill be here by my lonesome. look for a flash of bright yellow when u get here, that'll be me! ;p_

If your hair hadn't been the brightest and most radiant yellow it could be before, it certainly was now. You hadn't seen your friend in person since the two of you were little. You'd been childhood friends, and though you'd moved away when you were only thirteen, the two of you had kept in touch for almost ten years. Now that you had your life settled and were somewhat stable, you had planned to come to L.A. to visit her for a few weeks over the summer, which it now was, hence why you were standing in a coffee shop in L.A. waiting for hot chocolate. And your friend.

Your phone buzzed in your hand.

_lol, im sure we'll be able to find you. see u soon <3_

You put your phone in your pocket and took the hot chocolate from the same girl who had been behind the cash when you'd ordered. Damn, it was hot. You grabbed a sleeve from the counter and slipped it on before turning to find a spot to sit. You scanned around the shop, hoping that not all of the booths with the comfy seats were taken. There weren't that many people in the shop, so there were still a few booths lining the windows at the front that were free. You hummed to yourself as you walked over to one and plopped down onto the cushy seat with a contented sigh. 

The hot chocolate took a few minutes to cool off enough to be drinkable, and you sat and watched the sunny streets of L.A. while you sipped from the cup. _Still too hot!_

"Shit." You quickly put the cup back on the table and stuck your tongue out in an effort to cool the burn. The hand holding the hot chocolate knocked the end of the table though, and instead of panickingly putting the drink down, you spilled it into your lap. "Son of a bitch!" The hot liquid seeped through your clothes and you jumped up, your hair turning a bright red to match your flushed cheeks as everyone in the coffee shop turned to look at you. You wiped your hand on your sweater and slipped it off, hoping to soak up some of the drink before it burned you too badly.

"Do you need some napkins?" 

You turned to look at the voice that had spoken. It had been a deep, attractive voice that sounded warm and concerned at the same time. You froze when you saw who it was. _Oh god_ , you groaned internally.

Your cheeks grew even more red - if that was even possible - knowing that if he didn't notice that, he would most definitely notice how your hair was probably neon pink by now. Because, wow, you'd always thought he was kind of cute in his videos, but in person ... wow.

"Um ... y-yeah, that would, uh, that would help ... " You tried to avoid looking him in the eye as you took the napkins he offered and dabbed at your clothes in an attempt to clean some of the brown from them.

When you looked up to thank him, his head was cocked slightly to one side, he was smirking at you, and his brown eyes practically twinkled as they looked from your hair to your eyes.

"Now, you're either a fan, you think I'm handsome, or both."

You drew a blank when it come to responding. "Uh ... well ... i-it's ... a bit of ... b-both." You bit your lip and shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot, not quite sure what to do or say and more than anything just wanting to calm yourself down enough that your embarrassing situation wasn't _completely_ obvious to everyone in the immediate vicinity.

He laughed and smiled at you. God, he had a nice smile. The kind of infectious smile that made you smile along with him. "That must get annoying, huh? Can't really be subtle about anything."

You chuckled and managed to look him in the eye. "Ha, yeah, you could say that." You realized that you were still standing between your two booths.

"Even if you already know, I'm Mark." He held his hand out to you, still smiling that dazzling smile. You felt yourself start to relax. Just a little.

"I'm [Y/N]."

"Well it's nice to meet you, [Y/N]."

"You too."

It was silent for a moment as you both just stared at each other, Mark still smiling, you awkwardly shuffling again. You were starting to notice the uncomfortable stickiness under your clothes.

"Would you like to sit with me?" Mark motioned to his booth. You noticed for the first time that he sat alone, drinking something dark and frothy, his laptop open to his desktop on the table in front of him.

"Uh ... " You glanced at your bag lying on the seat you'd been sitting on and saw that you'd made quite a mess. There was hot chocolate all over the seat, a bit on the table, and it was leaking onto the floor. You snatched your bag up before the liquid could reach it. "Sure, but I think I'm gonna go clean myself up in the bathroom first, and grab some paper towels to clean up my booth."

He nodded. "Makes sense. Well, I'll be here when you get back. You can leave your bag if you want. Unless you don't trust me." The last sentence had been somewhat playful and teasing, and you smiled. Much more relaxed now. Your hair had probably calmed down a bit too.

"I think I can manage to leave my bag with you for a minute or two."

Mark smiled and you dropped your bag on the seat across from him before heading towards the bathroom. The woman behind the counter that had served you earlier waved you over as you passed.

"Hi, sorry, but I noticed that you made a bit of a commotion over there earlier. We were a bit busy, but I was just hoping that everything was all right?" She looked you up and down as she spoke, most likely noticing the dark brown on the front of your shirt and pants. And your hair, though calmer, was probably still at least a little bit pink. You _had_ just met markiplier, after all. And you were going to be sitting with him.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I kind of spilled my drink on me. Ha, clutsy me. It's all right though, I'm okay, and I was just going to get some paper towels to clean up."

"Ah, okay. Don't worry about cleaning up, I'll take care of it." You were about to protest - after all, you were the one who had made the mess, you didn't want to make her clean it up - but she was beaming at you and she seemed more than happy to help.

"Are you sure? It's my mess, after all ... "

She nodded. "I'm sure. You can go get cleaned up, and go sit with your new friend over there." She winked at you and turned back to whatever she was doing.

_Ah_ , you thought. _Now I understand_. You giggled to yourself as you continued on your way to the bathroom.

You were a mess. At least, you thought so. Your hair had most definitely toned it way down, but it was still a faded salmon colour, and your clothes - _God_ , your clothes. Your jeans were probably ruined. Did hot chocolate stain? You weren't sure, but if it did, your jeans were so done. Your shirt could be salvaged if you rinsed it off in the sink ... Good enough.

You were still holding your sweater, so you did a quick check to make sure there was nobody else in the bathroom before pulling your shirt off over your head and covering yourself with your sweater. You grabbed some paper towels, wet them, and dabbed at your stomach to get some of the sticky off, then you rinsed your shirt in the sink. When you'd gotten as much of the brown out as you thought you could, you stood there for a moment, staring at your reflection in the mirror as you held your sopping wet shirt over the sink.

 _Oh_ ... You hadn't really thought about what to do with your shirt after soaking it. You looked around to see if there were any bright ideas in the bathroom just waiting to be found. There weren't, of course. It was a bathroom, what were you expecting?

You settled with ringing it out until it wasn't dripping anymore, and then trying to dry it as best you could using the hand dryers. It kind of worked. You weren't going to be putting the shirt back on, but at least you could put it in your bag without everything getting all smelly and gross and soggy when you got back home.

After flapping your shirt a few times just in case, you folded it and tucked it under your arm and left the bathroom. Mark waved at you when he saw you walking over. You smiled and waved back.

"All good - " He paused as he noticed you wearing your sweater - tied up to hide your chest - and holding your shirt under your arm. "Are you not wearing a shirt?" He had one eyebrow raised and a comical smile plastered on his face.

You blushed a bit, hoping your hair wouldn't change too much, and sat down across from Mark. Your bag got pushed to the wall and you opened it to shove your shirt inside. "Maybe." You drew the word out a bit, a nervous laugh escaping your throat.

He laughed. "Wow, okay then. Didn't expect you to come out of the bathroom shirtless."

"Is that suppose to be a pickup line of some sort?"

"More like an innuendo, but pickup line works too."

You both laughed and Mark closed his laptop before leaning one elbow on the table. "So, [Y/N], tell me something - how did you manage to spill an entire cup of coffee on yourself within minutes of getting here?"

"Oh, well, it was hot chocolate, first of all, and - "

The girl from before cleared her throat and smiled at you when you looked up. "Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to give you this." She handed you a medium cup which you assumed contained hot chocolate.

You shook your head. "Oh, no, I can't, I'm the one who spilled it on myself in the first place. Besides, won't you get in trouble for giving away free drinks?"

She smiled. "It's not a free drink."

You paused for a moment. What did she mean it wasn't free? Did she expect you to buy another one?

"Uh, that would be me. Guilty."

You looked at Mark, still very much confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

He smirked and ran a hand through his dark hair. "I asked her to bring you another drink when she came over to clean your booth. My treat."

Your mouth hung open slightly and then you smiled. You weren't quite sure how to explain how you felt, but the only word you could think of to describe it was ... warm. Your hair faded into an orange tint that was just that; warm.


	2. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mark hit it off fairly well, and Emilia (the friend you'd been waiting for, remember?) thinks so too, which is probably why she invites him over to help you get settled in at her place. Probably.
> 
> But, hey, that's what friends are for, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ... this happened. Yeah. I was asked to write more of this and I thought _Hey, why not!_ and I did and so ... voila. No idea where this is going. It's the first time I've written RPF so I'm a bit iffy on it but I'm going to keep it nice and fluffy because that was my intention when I wrote the first chapter, just something cute to cheer myself up.
> 
> Also these first two chapters are really short, but all the ones after are going to be longer, probably the size of the first two put together.
> 
> As per usual, [Y/N] is your name. Hope this can cheer you up to~

It had been a bit awkward at first. Of course it had been. He was Mark freakin Fischbach, for Christ Sake! Still, though, you'd managed to calm yourself even more and soon the two of you were talking and joking and laughing like old friends, yellow hair and all. You had even almost forgotten that you were suppose to be meeting an _actual_ old friend at the coffee shop.

"[Y/N], [Y/N]!"

You heard the little girl's voice before you noticed her. When you looked up you were met with a bouncing, energetic eight-year-old who jumped into your arms as soon as you turned to her. You got a face full of hair but as soon as you realized that it was Nancy, you smiled.

"Hey there you! How's it goin'?"

You shook some of the girl's hair out of your face and looked up to see your friend, arms crossed, eyebrow raised, staring down at you. She seemed amused but also a bit cross. Nancy pulled away from you and sat in your lap, staring across the table at Mark.

"Hi! My name's Nancy. Are you friends with [Y/N]?" The little girl was beaming at Mark, and you hugged her from behind. She was so cute.

"Hello Nancy, my name's Mark. And yeah, I guess I am."

You smiled shyly at him and cleared your throat. He didn't look annoyed, but you still felt kind of bad, both for him and for having kind of forgotten about meeting your friend.

"[Y/N], were you planning on telling me that this was a group date?"

Again with the pink hair. Did she _really_ have to use the word 'date'?

"Um, actually it was a bit unexpected for me too ... "

"Is my friend bothering you? She can be a bit clueless sometimes," your friend said sweetly. You blushed a bit more. She was just teasing, but it was still embarrassing. 

Mark laughed. "No, no, not at all. I'm the one who bothered her, if anything." He smiled up at your friend, scooched over, and patted the seat next to him. "I'm assuming you were suppose to be meeting here. Please, sit down."

Your friend looked a bit surprised, but she smiled and sat down anyway. "Thank you, Mark. My name's Emilia, by the by." They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Emilia."

"You too. And Nancy's my niece, by the way. You've already met her, though."

Mark nodded and winked at the little girl, who burst into a fit of giggles on your lap. "I did."

There was a moment of silence as everyone adjusted to the situation and thought of something to say. Nancy turned to you, a huge smile on her face. "[Y/N], can you come with me to get something to drink?"

You smiled. "Sure thing, sweetie."

"Here, can you get me a medium caffè mocha while you're up there please? No foam." Emilia handed you a ten dollar bill and booped your nose when you took it. 

"Uh huh, but you owe me." She smiled.

You nodded at Mark who nodded back, and your friend winked at you as you and Nancy slid out of the booth. When you turned back to look at her as Nancy pulled you towards the counter, Emilia had slightly turned away from Mark. _"He's hot,"_ , she mouthed at you before turning back to him and starting a conversation.

You blushed again and your hair shifted to a darker shade of pink. How many times did that have to happen today? You were getting tired of it.

The girl behind the counter smiled as you approached. You were happy that you got to keep talking to her, because she seemed super nice, but you also wondered if she was the only one who was actually working at the moment. Sure, there was another guy behind the counter, but as far as you'd seen, he hadn't actually served anyone or done anything work-related since you'd walked into the coffee shop.

"More hot chocolate?"

You laughed and shook your head. "Not this time. What do you want, Nancy?"

"Uhm ... " The little girl mused over the menu behind the counter for a moment. You bent down and lifted her up so that she was sitting on your knee - which was propped against the counter - and she could see the choices better.

She was a smart kid, not just for her age but in general. This was the first time you'd met her in person, but it felt like it was normal to hang out with her. You and Emilia Skyped practically 24/7, whenever you both had free time, and she would often babysit Nancy for her older sister, so she was like a niece to you, too.

"Can I have a chocolate milkshake?"

The girl peered back at you through her frizzy blonde hair. You laughed.

"Sure thing, sweetheart. So that'll be a medium chocolate shake and medium caffè mocha with no foam, please."

The girl smiled. "Got it."

You payed, got your drinks, and headed back to the booth. Nancy skipped ahead of you, chocolate milkshake in hand, and you slid into the booth after her.

"One caffè mocha, no foam. Here's the change." You handed everything over to Emilia.

"Thanks dove. So, how come you never told me that I lived down the street from the guy you've been talking about for the past few months? If I would've known I would've planned your visit way sooner."

You felt the tip of your ears heat up and you could have sworn it was because your hair turned four shades brighter. _Maybe it would be the last time?_

Mark laughed and you thought you saw a bit of blush on his cheeks, too.

"Do you like like Mark, [Y/N]? That would be so great! You could move here with him and we could play in the park together everyday! Wouldn't that be fun?"

_Oh god ..._

"I-I ... ahem, it's a bit more complicated than that, sweetie. And I didn't tell you, Mil, 'cause I didn't know." You said the last part through gritted teeth, hoping your friend would understand that you were beyond tired of being embarrassed for the day. You'd met your quota for yearly public embarrassment in the last hour alone.

She raised an eyebrow at you. "All right, all right. I'll lay off. You should come over, Mark. Help [Y/N] unpack her stuff."

You bit the inside of your lip, a bit unsure of what to make of the situation. Your best friend was trying to hook you up with Mark and you weren't entirely sure you wanted her to stop ... plus, it didn't look like Mark minded too much either.

"Oh, well, if [Y/N] doesn't mind, then sure. I don't want to intrude." He smiled at you, but that smile was a little ... different.

"I don't mind. I could use the help." You smiled back at him. You felt your hair fade into another colour, but you weren't paying much attention to it, because you could have sworn that Mark's eyes glanced at your lips for just a second before meeting your eyes again.


	3. Soldier Fairy Princess ... Wait, What?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> French fries, marching, and a pink tutu clad niece with a penchant for chanting. What could possible go wrong?
> 
> Nothing, apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I don't really know about this one. Meh. I was going to end the story in this chapter but I got to the end and I just ... it's just not clicking. So one more chapter and then I'll move on to other things because I have way too many stories floating around. Also this is really short and also info dump haha yay ... Bleh.~~
> 
>  
> 
> As always, [Y/N] is your name. Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT 12/29/2015: Soo... This is actually going to be the ending. I know I said it wasn't, but I just can't seem to find a decent continuation. If anyone wants, maybe I'll add more onto the chapter to give a better resolution, but otherwise I rather like this ending, and hopefully some of you do as well! :)

"I want french fries! I want french fries!" Nancy chanted, marching around the living room as Emilia helped you haul the last of your bags to the staircase. Most of them were up in what was to be your room already, but you hadn't gotten around to unpacking anything yet.

Mid-step onto the stairs, the doorbell rang, and Emilia stood with her hands on her hips as the two of you let your luggage drop to the ground. "Okay, give me a second, dove," she said as she flounced over to the door, dodging around Nancy who was circling the couch, still marching and chanting.

Still holding onto the largest suitcase, you plopped down onto the stairs. A wayward strand of drab grey-blue hair fell into your face and you blew it away for a second before tucking it behind your ear. Nancy smiled at you as she rounded the couch again and you couldn't help but perk up a little. Your hair fell into your face again, a little brighter this time, but you ignored it.

You watched Emilia almost trip over one of Nancy's toys and had to stifle a laugh. She shot you a glare from across the room before turning back to the door and yanking it open. Mark stood there, smiling and holding a bottle of what looked like wine. "I know you didn't technically invite me for dinner, but I'm a bit late so I thought I'd bring this just in case," he said as he held the bottle to Emilia. Definitely wine.

Your friend took the bottle and spun it over in her hand and then smiled up at Mark. "I'm sure you're more than welcome to stay for dinner if you want. As you can hear - "

"I want french fries! I want french fries!"

Mark chuckled as he stepped in, and Emilia closed the door behind him. "I'll bring this into the kitchen. You can - "

Nancy stopped in her tracks and bounded towards her aunt. "Are you gonna make french fries?"

Emilia sighed. "Come on you little soldier, you can help me fix something up." She ushered Nancy into the kitchen and you waved at Mark. "Oh, you can help [Y/N] with her bags, right? Right. Don't break anything, dove. I'll call you when food's ready!" She disappeared into the kitchen, leaving you and Mark awkwardly milling around the living room, you partially up the stairs.

"So ... luggage?"

He smiled. "That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

You nodded. "Indeed it is. Up we go!"

You stood and pushed your now-vibrant-blue hair out of your face again, pulling the suitcase up another step. Mark grabbed the other two smaller bags and followed you up the carpeted staircase. Your bedroom was on the left side of the landing, last door on that end of the hallway. The door was still open, showing your half a dozen other pieces of luggage strewn about the room.

You kicked the large suitcase into the room in front of you and plopped down onto the bed. Mark carefully put the two bags he'd carried down next to the door and leaned on the frame, arms crossed over his chest. "You've ... got a lot of stuff here."

You laughed. "Yeah ... I'm staying here for almost two months. We haven't really decided yet. Pretty much whenever I decide to leave." You pushed one of your bags with your foot. "To be honest I'll probably only go back home for work at the end of the summer. I've got off 'til early August, so ... "

"Wow. So this is quite the vacation then, isn't it?"

"Ha, yeah I guess. I mean, it's mostly because we haven't really seen each other in a while. We've been planning this trip since we graduated high school. The only reason I didn't come during college was 'cause I was pressed for cash and needed to work during the summer to pay my way through it."

"Did she move here in high school?"

You laughed quietly. "I wish. No, we haven't seen each other for ... probably somewhere around 8 or 9 years. We were best friends as kids, and my family had to move away to [H/S] for work."

"So you guys kept in touch since you were ... um ... " Mark paused and blinked at you, a small smirk on his face.

"Uh, we were thirteen. Yeah, we kept in touch since we were thirteen. It's been ... it got hard, sometimes. She's my absolute best friend, we're like family." You trailed off and started to play with your hair.

"Hey, munchkins! Come here for a sec please!" Emilia shouted up at you from downstairs. You saw Mark start at the sudden sound.

"Jumpy, are we?"

He laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "Heh, maybe a little. Shall we?"

You nodded and hopped off the bed, leading the way back downstairs. Nancy was rocketing around the living room again, this time wearing an orange tutu and a crown while shaking a pink fairy wand around. She stopped when she saw the two of you standing at the landing of the stairs and waved excitedly. "We're gonna have french fries!" she exclaimed happily, before continuing her parade around the room.

Mark laughed and placed a tentative hand on the small of your back. "After you, [Y/N]."

You rolled your eyes and made your way to the kitchen, him following right behind. Emilia was leaning against the counter, phone in one hand, take-out menu in the other. She looked up when she heard your footsteps and smiled.

"Okay, so soldier princess in there insisted on ordering fries. As much as I'd love to have a meal that stands up to your wine in terms of quality, small fairies with a wand and a marching order take precedence." She smirked at her own joke and Mark laughed.

"No worries, anything can be brought up to standard with fancy dinnerware!"

You laughed and it was Emilia's turn to roll her eyes. "You really know how to pick 'em, huh, [Y/N]?"

And here we go again, you thought, as your hair's roots no doubt tinged on the pinker side. Mark offered you a small smile and soft eyes, which did make you feel a little better, but ... still. You were done with the pink hair.

"Anyway, what do you guys want? Pizza, burgers, hot dogs?"

Mark shrugged. "Whatever you two want, I've already intruded enough."

Emilia let out a small giggle. "Pff, please, you were invited. Besides, I'm sure that neither of us mind the 'intrusion' anyway. And Nancy absolutely adores you, so if we find you too much of a hassle, we'll just saddle you with babysitting her while me and [Y/N] gallivant into the sunset."

The three of you laughed. Emilia passed around the menu and you all eventually settled on a large meatlovers pizza, four ketchup-mustard hot-dogs, two large orders of fries, and a drink each, and she followed you and Mark into the living room as she ordered the food.


End file.
